Cumulative sheet binder



Aug. 7, 1945. I I CARDQZA 2,381,204

CUMULATIVE SHEET BINDER Filed April l4,)1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 1 mmvrm Aura/v4- J 63420024 4 0 2 n 2 .t l m Y .8 s &.w K m m s M. m TM. m my mum W mm A wm .Md Auk mm c a J. 5 F 4 9 A Patented Aug. 7', 1945 UNITED STATE S PATENT -QFF E UMULATIVE SHEET Bumps. Antone J. Oardoza, San Francisco, Application Apr-i114, 1943, Serial mum-14 bination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being-um 'derstood that various changes in the form, pro-' portion, size-and details of "construction of the- 'apparatusfmay be resorted to within thescope of the appended claims without departing from bound sheets, or a number ofsheets accumulated over a per d of time.

Heretofore there have been many varieties of post binders, as well as types ca ed ring binders.

The'previo'usly known and use types of binders have been usually expensive to produce and require a relatively large amount oflaborand a very substantial quantity of metal in construction. Under present war condition "and the shortage of labor' and -materials, it has become desirable toxprovide a binder for superimposed sheets-wherein the use of metal and other 'ma-' terials critical to the warprogram may be substantially eliminated and the cost or labor and V I the manner of severing binder posts to a desired I construction substantially reduced, yet not un-- V necessarily to demoraiize existing systems of business which have been employing binders as a part of their records over a long-period of time.

' Among the'objects of the present invention are.

to provide a post binder which from time to time may be cumulatively filled -with sheets of paper or pages mounted-and sustained on posts. and which may be made into a permanent binder for the sheets when a desired number have been accumulated or a predetermined period of time has elapsed. Another object is to provide a post binder in which the sheets accumulating on the' posts may be held in their mounted relation durind the course of-accumulation thereof in super-- imposed relation. Further objects are to pro.-

vide a post binder having relativelyrigid posts of a sufllciently soft material whichmay be severed to a length providing a binder of predetere .mined thickness. A further object'is to provide binder posts having means to permit a degree of flexibility ot-the impacted sheets mounted the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages ofthe invention L To more clearly comprehend the invention, ref erence is directed to the accompanying drawings wherein:

s l Fig. 1 is aperspectiveview of a binder cover and posts illustrating means for cumulatively building up superimposed sheetsvthereon.

Fig. 2 .is a perspective of a binder illustrating thickness 'oibound sheets. a

Fig. 3 isa perspective view of a completed binder with covers closed.

Fig. 4 is anend view, partly insection, showing the completed binder in open-boot; position.

. Fig. ,5 is a fragmentary enlargement in sectionon line V- V oi Fig. 3.

Fig; 6 is a fragmentary enlargement in section on line VI-VI of Fig. .3.

Fig. 7 isan enlargedperspective of the-binder post transversely sectioned.

Fig. 8- is a perspective of a modified form or binder while sheetsare being accumulated therein of Fig. 8.

. Fig. '10 is X-X of Fig. 9, shown fragmentarily.v

.. Fig.- 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional "view of portions of the structure in Fig. 10,

showing detail.

thereon when the-sheets are permanently bound in the binder, and to provide a convenient means for indexing. the bound edge of the sheets at the exterior of their bound edge portion. Yet anotherobjectis to provide a simplified post binder, sturdy and economical in construction, employ:-

ing. no substantialamount of metal, yet efllcien I and convenient infuse and operation.

i With'the foregoing and. other objects in.-view all oi which will be more appa'rent'as thi's'descriptionprdceedsrthe invention is exemplified in one form-in the novel construction yidcom Referring tothedrawings'oi' Fi'gsil toil, inelusive, in which like reference characters illus+- trate corresponding parts in the several views, 10

' indicates generally an exterior binder cover whichmay be either rigid or flexible, but is prei-;..

erably relatively rigid and made 01' compressed paper stock.- Qbviouslmone end ofthe cover is 7 free, and the oppositeendmay be termed the- 1 binding end. The binding and of exterior cover In has a hingedly mounteiiiblock portion ll con-g,

nected thereto by hinge means 'l-Lwhich may be formedby the intermediate portion I 3 of afab- 1 ric loop member 14, the two ends'oi' which are blued to the opposite sides of the exterior cover I 0; and--thus.,secured thereto vas at 15, the block H being likewise glued'within the opposite 'endof the lqo'p', and; by me s. oi'the'hine'e l3, ein

of a portion a Fig; 9 is a perspective of a complet ed binder an enlarged transverse sectiononline retrovertable inwardlyto a parallel contacting relation with the exterior cover. The block member II has a plurality of relatively spaced holes l6 therein, in which are fixedly mounted binder posts ll, preferably of a length exceeding the completed form of the binder. The binder posts I! are securely fixed in the holes of blocks H in any suitable manner, such as by a suitable adhesive cement, and may be further secured by driving a peg or nail l8 through the edge of block ll into the end portion of the post. For purposes of economy in manufacture, it is preferred that these posts be of relatively rigid material, but sufficiently soft to' be readily severable as indicated in Fig. 2, a suitable material being wood dowel pin strips which are circular in transverse section. 'A plurality of sheets I9 may be mounted on the posts I! by means of perforations therein, and properly spaced adjacent one edge of the sheets. For convenience in removing one or more sheets from the binder without disturbing other sheets therein, a line of perforations 2| may also be provided in the sheets.

In opening the binder into open-book form, as shown in Fig. 4, provision is made for a slight arcuate movement of the compressed bound ends of the sheets so that the pages may open at the bound edge more fully than if they were in rigid compactedrelation. In order that the permanently bound ends of the compacted sheets may have a relatively small amount of arcuate give or flexibility at-their binding edge, it has heretofore been customary to mount the sheets on coiled spring posts, which would permit a certain amount of arcuate movement of the compressed block of sheets at the binding edge so that when the binder was opened in book form, as in Fig. 4, the spring post would arc longitudinally, and permit the binder to open somewhat wider than if a rigid post were employed. Since the post in the present invention is substantially rigid, an arcuate cut 22 is made longitudinally at the posts H. To facilitate the engagement of the posts I! by the Jaws or gripping means, the opposed faces of the posts may be scalloped or corrugated as at 29 in Fig. '7, so that the gripping edges 23b may engage therein. The device is completely useable and operable in the manner shown in Fig. 1, for accumulating sheets, but is not then in permanent binder form. The distance between the inner arcuate edges 23b of strip 23 is greater than the distance between the opposed faces of posts I! and the holes .16 of cover block H; and this greater distance causes the strip 23 to are slightly to provide a leaf spring resilience therein, both so that the gripping of the posts will be resilient and also so that the strip .23 may be readily removed for adding additional cumulative sheets.

When the sheets have been accumulated to any predetermined height on the posts, as in Fig. 1, a second binder cover, similar in all respects to the one previously described, is fitted over the posts H by means of holes IS in its block I I, and then the surplus ends of the posts H are severed in any suitable manner, as by pliers 24 shown in Fig. 2. The post may be similarly cemented in the holes 16,-and may be likewise supplementally fixed by a staple l8 driven transversely through the edge of block I! into rear side of the post so that when the book is j opened, the portion of compressed or tablet end of the sheets which is tightly held within the binder end of the covers may -correspondingly are centrally thereof and accomplish the purpose of the arcing of a coil spring binder post. The depth of the arcuate cut 22 is preferably less than the radius of the posts l1, that is, less than 1 one-half its diameter, thus providing for a suflicient amount of. cylindrical surface of post material to fit the perforations of the sheets and hold them in alignment while they are being accumulated on the posts, and yet permitting the sheets, when moving in a block to ride up into the longitudinal arc of the post as shown in Fig. 4.

If desired, the binder may be made in permanent bound form with the full complementof sheets bound therein at the time of its manu-.

' facture, as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and '6; but for pur'- poses of accumulating sheets in the binder from time totime, one cover member ID with posts I! securely fixed in the block thereof, may be employed, as shown in Fig. 1, in which event a resilient gripping means 23 may be employed to hold the sheets 19 in mounted relatiorr while being accumulated. Manifestly, this gripping means'23 releasably engages the post so that additional sheets may be added from time to time. As illustrated in Fig. 1', the gripping means 23 comprises a releasable strip of resilientmaterial such as highly compressed paper board, having claws or jaws 23a at each end'to engage the the severed end portion of the post. If desired, the securing of the binder in permanent form may be additionally assured by driving nails 28 through the blocks H and into the paper sheets mounted on the posts.

It is desirable to have a satisfactory means for indexing the-completed, binder. Because of the relative movement of the back edge of the bound-sheets in opening and closing, particularly as they may be repeatedly flexed in the manner aforesaid, it is not completely satisfactory to merely paste an index sticker on the rear edge of the bound sheets without other means of" attachment. To facilitate theattachment of an index label, the block members of the covers are provided with elongated indentations 25. These indentations may be of any desired length, depending on the size of the index strip 26, but the length should besubstantiall'y less than the distance between the posts 11, and the width of the indentation is preferably less than half the width of the block member ll, so as not to reduce the facial contact of the block with the sheets more than is necessary. This is best illustrated in Fig. 6. The index tag 26 may have its ends. 21 bent for insertion in the indentations in which the hinged cover block H of Fig. 1 is not retroverted upon the other portion of the .cover, but instead lies in substantially the same plane. Theends of posts I! may be mounted in f the holes iii of one cover member and pegs or nails I8 driven thereinto from the rear edge of the cover block. There is some modification in the releasable resilient gripping means, such as resilient strip 30, which has holes 3| adjacent each of its ends for resiliently gripping the posts,

,the holes 3| being relatively spaced a greater distance than the posts l1 and holes is of the covers, so that the gripping strip 30 is bowed upward, 'as shown in Fig. 8, for ready removal while the sheets are being accumulated.

Since the cover member has no retroverted block, the top cover may be employed while the sheets are accumulating, the block portion II being interposed between the accumulated sheets and the resilient gripping strip 30.

After the desired number of sheets has been accumulated the gripping strip 30 and top coverof the strip are relatively spaced a greater distance than the holes of the cover, and the posts having corrugations 29 thereon, a, very tight grip is provided between the gripping strip and the posts and the posts are spread slightly so that they frictionally wedge against the side wall of the holes of the cover as at 32 in Fig. 11. This provides a very tight lock for the usual purposes of a storage binder. I However, it is desirable for g permanency to further secure the cover to the bound sheets by one or more nails 33 driven through the block ll, .thegripping strip 30 and into the bound sheets. When the binder is thus secured in permanent unreleasable form, the surplus ends of the posts I! may be severed flush or level with the exterior of the block ll.

Having thus described the invention, what isclaimed as new andpatentable is: r a

1. A binder for superimposed perforated paper sheets, including an exterior cover member having a hingedly connected'block end portion provided with a plurality of relatively spaced holes therein for receiving ends of binder posts, a plurality of relatively soft severable binder posts mounted in the holes of said block portions of the cover member for receiving thereon the perforated sheets, the said posts each having a longitudinal axis on a substantially straight line and being substantially circular in lateral transverse section and'having intermediate theends thereof a. longitudinally arcuate portion cut therefrom at the rear side, and a resilient strip having openingstherethrough adjacent its opposite ends and being adapted for releasably engaging the said posts for sustaining accumulating sheets mounted on said posts, the more nearly adjacent edges of said strip openings being spaced apart a sufliciently greater distance than the distance between the opposed faces of the posts so that -,the central portion of the strip is sprung upwardly free from the sheets while the sheets are being accumulated on said posts and whereby the edges of said strip openings may be pressed more tightly into said posts when said strip is flattened against said accumulated sheets.

2. A binder for superimposed perforated paper sheets, including an exterior cover member having a hingedly connected block end portion provided with a plurality of relatively spaced holes therein for receiving ends of binder posts, a plurality of spaced binder'posts of relatively soft severable material mounted in the holes of said I block portion of the cover member for receiving thereon the perforated sheets, the said posts being substantially circular in lateral transverse section and having intermediate the ends thereof corrugations in the relatively opposed side walls of the respective posts, the longitudinal axis. of each of said posts being on a substantially straight line and the rear side of each of the posts having intermediate the ends thereof a longitudinally arcuate portion cut away, and a resilient strip having openings therethrough ad'- jacent its opposite ends and being adapted for releasably .engaging the corrugations of said posts for sustaining accumulating sheets mounted on said posts, the more nearly adjacent edgesof said stripopenings being spaced apart a sufilciently greater distance than the distance between the opposedfaces of the posts so that the 

